Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Prohibited Noxious

A very quick grab from the archives, as I was beginning to feel the need for some colour in my photostream! I had hoped to make a start on Day 11 of our trip to Ontario and Quebec in May 2018, but I had things to get done today. Tomorrow, I have to go and get a cortisone shot in my left hip, so will need to rest for a couple of days. I was thinking they would do both hips in the same appointment, but I was told they only do one at a tme - which does make sense. Second one will be in about 12 days' time. The shots I had in both knees a few weeks ago had no effect on the pain level, so I am really hoping that tomorrow's shot will have a better result. This is the seedhead of a Nodding Thistle, taken on 25 July 2017. These are my favourite thistles, but unfortunately, it is an invasive species. The Alberta Provincial Designation for Nodding/Musk Thistle is Prohibited Noxious. "A native of Europe, nodding thistle has a long history as a rangeland pest. The invasive nature of this aggressive plant can lead to severe degradation of native grasslands and meadows because grazing animals focus on native vegetation giving the thistles a competitive advantage." From invasiveplants.ab.ca. www.invasiveplants.ab.ca/factsheets/FS-NoddingThistle.pdf en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carduus_nutans

Supposedly a weed, I've only ever seen Orange Hawkweed growing in the wild twice, I believe. This photo was taken at the Reader Rock Garden on 30 June 2010. I love their colour and the toothed tips of each petal. Provincial Designation: Prohibited Noxious. "Native to Eurasia, Orange hawkweed was likely introduced as an ornamental plant because of its showy, fiery orange flowers .... The ancient Greeks believed hawks’ feeding on the sap of hawkweed is what gave them their keen eyesight. Other common names are devil’s paintbrush and red devil." www.invasiveplants.ab.ca/Downloads/FS-OrangeHawkweed.pdf After some really beautiful, somewhat milder weather, winter has returned yet again this morning. Snowing and settling, unfortunately. I had been planning on making a brave, second trip east of the city in the next few days, but the thought of snowy backroads makes me really nervous after getting my car stuck in snow and needing help to dig it out the other week.